JP2003131070A - Apparatus and method for manufacturing two-optical fiber ribbon terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus and a method for manufacturing which can use a die many times when a two-optical fiber ribbon terminal is manufactured, eliminate the time for preparing die replacing work and drastically reduce the die washing work. SOLUTION: The apparatus 50 for manufacturing the two-optical fiber ribbon terminal comprises a pitch fixing set table (11) which can fix two optical fiber strands (1) at a regular pitch interval, a set table moving stage (12) which can be attached to the set table and move right and left, a resin applying die (13) and a resin tank (14) straightly provided under the stage when they are in a initial state, a die and resin tank moving table (15) vertically movable, and an ultraviolet ray curing furnace (16) installed parallel to the die and resin tank moving table (15) and vertically movable.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method of a two-core tape terminal which can be used in a small-sized two-core optical connector, and more specifically, an ultraviolet curable resin is applied to the terminal portions of two optical fiber strands. The present invention relates to a manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method of a two-core tape terminal provided with a collective coating applied and cured in a predetermined shape and size.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The manufacturing method described in the patent application No. 2001-080272 "Two-fiber tape terminal, two-fiber ferrule and manufacturing method thereof", filed by the present inventors, is a method in which an ultraviolet curable resin is squeezed with a die. After being formed into the shape of, the ultraviolet rays are immediately irradiated to maintain the shape. At that time, since the die mouth is also irradiated with ultraviolet rays, it was necessary to wash the die once if it was used once. Therefore, a plurality of dies are prepared, and each die is removed from the manufacturing apparatus and replaced.

[0003]

As described above, it is troublesome to remove the dies used for manufacturing the two-core tape terminal from the manufacturing apparatus each time and replace the dies with the dies prepared. There was a problem that it took time. Further, the die cleaning work for cleaning the removed die is troublesome, and there is a problem that the work takes time.

The present invention has been made in order to solve various problems of the above-mentioned prior art, and when manufacturing a two-core tape terminal, the dice can be used not only once but also many times, and the dice can be exchanged. The setup time for work can be eliminated,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method of a two-core tape terminal capable of significantly reducing the die cleaning work.

[0005]

As a first aspect of the present invention, in the present invention, an end portion of two optical fiber strands is provided with a collective coating in which an ultraviolet curable resin is applied and cured in a predetermined shape and size. A device for manufacturing a two-core tape terminal, comprising: a fixed pitch set stand capable of fixing two optical fiber strands at a constant pitch interval; and a set stand moving stage to which the set stand can be attached and which can be moved in the left-right direction. When the set stage moving stage is in the initial position, a resin coating die and a UV resin tank (hereinafter abbreviated as resin tank) provided in a lower position in series with the stage and the die and the resin tank are attached. And UV curing that can be moved up and down and is installed in a parallel position that does not form a straight line with the die and resin tank moving base that can move in the vertical direction. If, in the manufacturing apparatus of the 2-fiber ribbons terminal characterized in that it comprises a. In the manufacturing apparatus for a two-core tape terminal according to the first aspect, the pitch fixed set table, the set table moving stage, the resin coating die and the resin tank, the die and the resin tank moving table, the ultraviolet curing furnace, This makes it possible to efficiently manufacture a two-core tape terminal. Further, in order to prevent the ultraviolet rays of the ultraviolet curing furnace from hitting the die hole, the dice and the ultraviolet curing furnace are arranged in parallel so as not to be in a straight line. As a result, the UV curable resin in the die hole does not cure, so the die can be used not only once but also many times (for example, 100 terminals can be used in about half a day). As described above, since it is not necessary to replace the dice, it is possible to eliminate setup time for exchanging the dice, improve work efficiency, and reduce costs.

As a second aspect, the present invention provides a two-core tape terminal characterized in that the moving means of the set stand moving stage, the die and the resin tank moving stand, and the ultraviolet curing furnace are an air cylinder or an electric motor. It is in the manufacturing equipment. In the apparatus for manufacturing a two-fiber tape terminal according to the second aspect, an air cylinder or an electric motor can be preferably used as the moving means.

A third aspect of the present invention is to manufacture a two-core tape terminal in which an end portion of two optical fiber strands is provided with a collective coating in which an ultraviolet curable resin is applied and cured in a predetermined shape and size. A method for holding two optical fiber strands on a fixed pitch set stand having a constant pitch interval, and then placing the set stand on a set stage moving stage that can move in the left-right direction. Holding / stage mounting step; and, when the set table moving stage is at the initial position, a resin coating die and a resin tank provided at a lower position in series with the stage can move vertically in the resin die and resin tank By mounting it on a stand and moving the moving stand upward, the end portions of the two optical fiber element wires of the fixed pitch set stand are inserted into the die holes, and then the two holes inserted through the die holes. Die insertion / resin adhering step of immersing the fiber strand end portion in the UV resin of the resin tank to attach the resin to the strand end portion; and, after the previous process, lower the die and the resin tank moving base at a constant speed. A resin coating step for making the outer diameters of the two optical fiber element end portions (two-fiber tape ends) to which the UV resin adheres constant by moving the UV resin to the; The moving stage is installed in a parallel position that is not linear with the die and the resin tank moving table, and is horizontally moved to a position above the ultraviolet curing furnace that is vertically movable, and then the curing furnace is moved upward from below. A step of inserting a two-core tape end coated with UV resin into the inside of the furnace and a curing furnace moving step;
A resin-curing step of irradiating a V-resin-coated two-core tape terminal to cure the UV resin and providing a collective coating in which the two-core tape terminals are jointed; It is in the manufacturing method of the terminal. In the method for manufacturing a two-fiber tape terminal according to the third aspect, the above-mentioned optical fiber wire holding / stage mounting step, die insertion /
The resin adhesion step, the resin application step, the stage / curing oven moving step, and the resin curing step enable efficient manufacture of the two-core tape terminal. Further, as described in the first aspect, in order to prevent the ultraviolet rays of the ultraviolet curing furnace from hitting the die holes, the dice and the ultraviolet curing furnace are arranged in parallel so as not to be in a straight line. As a result, the UV curable resin in the die hole does not cure, so that the die can be used not only once but also many times. As described above, since it is not necessary to replace the dice, it is possible to eliminate setup time for exchanging the dice, improve work efficiency, and reduce costs. Further, during the resin coating step, the outer diameter can be made constant by handling with a die while keeping the speed constant.

As a fourth aspect, the present invention is characterized in that the manufacturing apparatus used in the method for manufacturing the two-core tape terminal is the manufacturing apparatus described in the first aspect or the second aspect. In the manufacturing method. In the manufacturing method of the fourth aspect, the manufacturing apparatus described in the first aspect or the second aspect can be preferably used as the manufacturing apparatus used for manufacturing the two-fiber tape terminal.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The contents of the present invention will be described below in more detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings. The present invention is not limited to this. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of an apparatus for manufacturing a two-core tape terminal according to the present invention. Figure 2
[Fig. 3] is a schematic view showing a pitch fixed holding base (an optical fiber wire holding state) of a manufacturing apparatus for a two-core tape terminal according to the present invention, in which Fig. 1 (a) is a front view and Fig. 1 (b) is a top view. is there. Figure 3
FIG. 3 is a chart showing an example of a method for manufacturing a two-core tape terminal according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the state of each constituent device during each step during manufacturing of a two-core tape terminal using the two-core tape terminal manufacturing apparatus of the present invention. FIG. State during holding / stage mounting process, Figure (b)
Shows the state during die insertion / resin adhesion process (at the end), the same figure (c) shows the state during resin coating process (at the end), the same figure (d)
Shows the state during the stage / curing furnace moving step (the stage has finished moving to the right, the curing furnace has not moved upward), and FIG. 7E shows the state during the resin curing step. Also in FIG.
[Fig. 3] is a schematic view showing an example of a two-core tape terminal obtained by the present invention, the figure (a) is a front view, and the figure (b) is a sectional view of aa portion of the figure (a). is there. In these figures, 1 is an optical fiber element wire, 2 is collective coating (ultraviolet curable resin (cured)), 2j is ultraviolet curable resin (uncured), 5 is a two-fiber tape terminal, 11 is a fixed pitch set stand, 11a Is a holding body, 11b is an upper lid, 11c is a holding groove, 12 is a setting table moving stage, 13 is a resin coating die, 13a is a die hole, 14 is a resin tank, 15 is a die and resin tank moving table, and 16 is ultraviolet curing. A furnace, 16a is an ultraviolet irradiation means, 50 is a two-fiber tape terminal manufacturing apparatus, and h is a bare fiber.

-First Embodiment- An example of an apparatus for manufacturing a two-core tape terminal according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown in detail in FIG.
Pitch fixed set base (11) capable of fixing the two optical fiber strands (1) at a constant pitch interval, and a set base moving stage (1) to which the set base can be attached and which can be moved in the left-right direction
2) and, as shown in FIG. 1, when the set stage moving stage (12) is in the initial position, a resin coating die (13) and a resin tank (14) provided in a lower position in series with the stage. , The die and resin tank are attached,
The die and the resin tank moving base (15) that can move in the vertical direction, and the die and the resin tank moving base (1).
5) and an ultraviolet curing oven (16) that is installed in a parallel position that is not in a straight line and that can move in the vertical direction. An air cylinder (not shown) is used as a moving means for the set table moving stage (12), the die and resin tank table (15), and the ultraviolet curing furnace (16). Further, the ultraviolet curing furnace (16) is provided with ultraviolet irradiation means (16a). The fixed pitch holding base (11) is, for example, two optical fiber strands (1).
It comprises a base (11a) provided with a holding groove (11c) and an upper lid (11b) which can be opened and closed by a hinge (not shown).

-Second Embodiment- An example of a method for manufacturing a two-core tape terminal according to the present invention will be described in the order of steps with reference to the chart of FIG. First, the optical fiber bare wire holding / stage mounting step f1
Then, after holding two optical fiber strands on a fixed pitch set stand having a fixed pitch, the set stand can be moved in the horizontal direction and is held at the initial position of the manufacturing process. Place it in the specified position. In the die insertion / resin attaching step f2, when the set table moving stage is in the initial position, the resin coating die and the UV resin tank provided in a lower position in series with the stage can move vertically in the die and the resin tank. By attaching it to the moving table and moving the moving table upward,
The ends of the two optical fiber strands of the fixed pitch set stand are inserted into the die holes, and then the two end portions of the optical fiber strands inserted through the die holes are immersed in UV resin in a resin tank. The resin is attached to the wire end portion. In the resin coating step f3, after the previous step, the outer diameter of the two optical fiber element wire end portions (two-core tape terminal) to which the UV resin is adhered is moved by moving the die and the resin tank moving base downward at a constant speed. To be constant. In the stage and curing furnace moving step f4, after the previous step, the set table moving stage is installed in the same position as the die and the resin tank moving table in a parallel position so as not to be linear after the previous step, and ultraviolet curing capable of moving in the vertical direction is performed. It is moved horizontally to the upper position of the furnace, and then the curing furnace is moved from the lower side to the upper side, and the two-core tape end coated with UV resin is inserted into the curing furnace. In the resin curing step f5, the ultraviolet rays in the curing furnace are converted into U
V resin coating Two core tape terminals are irradiated and UV resin is cured to provide a collective coating in which two core tape terminals are jointed. By the above steps, the ultraviolet curable resin is applied to the end portions of the two optical fiber strands in a predetermined shape and dimensions and cured to manufacture a two-core tape terminal having a collective coating.

-Third Embodiment- A specific example of a manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method for a two-core tape terminal of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in detail in FIG. 2, two optical fiber strands (1) are placed on a fixed pitch set base (11) with a predetermined length from the end of the holding base to the end of the strands (1). I set it out. Then, using the two-core tape terminal manufacturing apparatus (50) shown in FIG. 1, the fixed pitch set stand (11) holding the two optical fiber strands (1) is set on the set stand moving stage (12). Placed. (FIG. 4A) (optical fiber bare wire holding / stage mounting step f1) Next, the resin coating die (13) and the UV resin tank (14) provided below the die are moved to move the die and the resin tank. By moving the table (15) upward (in the direction of arrow c in FIG. 4 (a)), the end portions of the two optical fiber strands (1) are inserted into the die holes (13a), and then the die holes are inserted. The two inserted optical fiber strand ends were immersed in the UV resin (2j) of the resin tank (14) to adhere the resin for a predetermined length c, for example 50 mm. (Fig. 4
(B)) (Die insertion, resin attaching step f2) After the previous step, the die (13) and the resin tank (1
Both of 4), die and resin tank moving stand (15)
At a constant speed, eg 100 mm / min downward (Fig. 3 (b)
By moving it in the direction of arrow f), the two optical fiber strand ends (two-core tape ends) with UV resin attached are inserted into the die hole (13a) in the direction opposite to the above process, and the excess is made by the die hole. The resin was applied to the outer circumference of the wire in a predetermined shape, for example, a circular cross section, to make the outer diameter constant. (FIG. 4C) (Resin coating step f3) After the previous step, in that state, the set table moving stage (12) is laterally moved above the ultraviolet curing furnace (16) (arrow b in FIG. 3C). Direction), and then the ultraviolet curing furnace was moved upward from below (direction of arrow e in FIG. 3D), and a two-core tape end coated with UV resin was inserted into the inside of the furnace. (FIG. 4 (d)) (Step of moving stage and curing oven) After the previous step, UV rays are applied to the UV resin-coated two-core tape terminal by the ultraviolet ray irradiating means (16a) provided in the curing oven (16) to UV. The resin was cured to provide a collective coating (2) in which the ends of the two-core tape were jointed. (Fig. 4 (e))
(Resin curing step) In addition, the moving means of the set table moving stage (12),
An air cylinder (not shown) was used as the moving means of the die and the resin tank moving stand (15) and the moving means of the ultraviolet curing furnace (16). From the above, as shown in FIG. 5, a two-core tape terminal in which the ultraviolet curable resin is applied to the end portions of the two optical fiber strands (1) in a predetermined shape and size and cured to provide the collective coating (2). (5) was produced.

[0013]

Industrial Applicability By using the manufacturing apparatus and the manufacturing method of the two-core tape terminal of the present invention, the two-core tape terminal can be manufactured efficiently. Further, in order to prevent the ultraviolet rays of the ultraviolet curing furnace from hitting the die hole, the dice and the ultraviolet curing furnace are arranged in parallel so as not to be in a straight line. Therefore, the UV curable resin in the die hole will not cure,
You can now use the dice not only once but many times. Therefore, since it is not necessary to replace the dice, it is possible to eliminate the setup time for exchanging the dice, improve the work efficiency, and reduce the cost. Therefore, the present invention is extremely effective in contributing to the industry.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of an apparatus for manufacturing a two-core tape terminal according to the present invention.

2A and 2B are schematic views showing a pitch fixed holding base (optical fiber bare wire holding state) of the manufacturing apparatus for a two-core tape terminal according to the present invention, where FIG. 2A is a front view and FIG. 2B is a top view. It is a figure.

FIG. 3 is a chart showing an example of a method for manufacturing a two-core tape terminal according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a state of each constituent device during each step during manufacturing of a two-core tape terminal using the two-core tape terminal manufacturing apparatus of the present invention. FIG. The state during the holding / stage mounting process, the figure (b) is the state during the die insertion / resin adhesion process (at the end), and the figure (c) is the state during the resin application process (at the end), the same figure ( FIG. 7D shows a state during the stage and curing furnace moving process (the stage has finished moving to the right, the curing furnace has not moved upward), and FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an example of a two-core tape terminal obtained by the present invention, where FIG. 5 (a) is a front view and FIG.
FIG. 4B is a sectional view of a portion aa in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Optical fiber strand 2 Batch coating (UV curable resin (curing)) 2j UV curable resin (uncured) 5 2-core tape terminal 11 pitch fixed set stand 11a holding body 11b Top lid 11c holding groove 12 sets moving stage 13 Resin coating die 13a Dice hole 14 Resin tank 15 Dies and resin tank transfer stand 16 UV curing furnace 16a UV irradiation means 50 2-fiber tape terminal manufacturing equipment h bare fiber

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A manufacturing apparatus for a two-core tape terminal, wherein an end portion of two optical fiber strands is provided with a collective coating in which an ultraviolet curable resin is applied and cured in a predetermined shape and size. A fixed pitch set stand that can fix the optical fiber strands at a fixed pitch interval, a set stand movable stage that can be attached to the set stand, and is movable in the left and right directions, and when the set stand movable stage is in the initial position, A resin coating die provided in a lower position in series with the stage and a tank of the ultraviolet curing resin, and the die and the resin tank are attached,
2. A die and a resin tank moving base movable in the vertical direction, and an ultraviolet curing furnace which is installed in a parallel position not in series with the die and the resin tank moving base and is movable in the vertical direction. Manufacturing equipment for core tape terminals. 2. The apparatus for manufacturing a two-fiber tape terminal according to claim 1, wherein the moving means of the set stand moving stage, the die and the resin tank moving stand, and the ultraviolet curing furnace are an air cylinder or an electric motor. . 3. A method of manufacturing a two-core tape terminal, wherein an end portion of two optical fiber strands is provided with a collective coating in which an ultraviolet curable resin is applied and cured in a predetermined shape and size. Holding the optical fiber strands on a fixed pitch set stand having a constant pitch, and then placing the set stand on a set stage moving stage that can move in the left-right direction. When the set stage moving stage is at the initial position, a resin coating die and a tank of an ultraviolet curable resin (hereinafter abbreviated as UV resin) provided at a lower position in series with the stage can be moved in the vertical direction. By attaching the die and the resin tank moving base and moving the moving base upward, the end portions of the two optical fiber bare wires of the pitch fixed set base are inserted into the die holes, and then the die holes are formed. Die insertion / resin adhesion process of immersing the two passed optical fiber strand end parts in the UV resin of the resin tank and attaching the resin to the strand wire end part; and the die and resin tank movement after the previous process A resin that keeps the outer diameters of the two optical fiber strand ends (two-fiber tape ends) to which the UV resin is attached constant by moving a table (hereinafter abbreviated as die moving table) downward at a constant speed. After the previous process, the coating stage;
The die and the resin tank moving base are installed in parallel positions that are not in a straight line, and are horizontally moved to a position above the ultraviolet curing furnace that can be moved in the vertical direction, and then the curing furnace is moved from the lower side to the upper side. A step of inserting a two-core tape end coated with UV resin and a curing furnace moving step; and, after the previous step, irradiating the UV resin-coated two-core tape end with ultraviolet rays in the curing furnace to cure the UV resin. Resin curing step of providing a collective coating by joining two core tape ends;
A method of manufacturing a two-core tape terminal, comprising: 4. A method of manufacturing a two-core tape terminal, wherein the manufacturing apparatus used in the method of manufacturing the two-core tape terminal is the manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1.